


Swim Lessons

by UnicornAffair



Series: Emma Gomez-Hart [31]
Category: Power Rangers (2017), Power Rangers Dino Charge
Genre: Alternate Universe - Parents, F/M, Trans Character, Trans Zack Taylor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:14:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28623126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnicornAffair/pseuds/UnicornAffair
Summary: Amanda finds herself in a bit of a pickle when her youngest son Riley is invited to a pool party, the boy can't swim. Naturally, Kimberly and Trini suggest that Zack helps them out.Ages: Emma, Gia and Chase (7), Kendall (8), Riley (6)
Relationships: Amanda Clark/Zack Taylor, Kimberly Hart/Trini
Series: Emma Gomez-Hart [31]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1281236
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	Swim Lessons

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Struppi017](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Struppi017/gifts).



> Happy Birthday!!! I wanted this to be finished a lot earlier but ah...well, you know what happened to my computer. I will say! Though you are fast asleep over there, it IS being published on your birthday time here so it's TECHNICALLY not late. <3 <3 <3 thank you so much for being such an amazing friend over the years and for my awesome advent calendar. You always go above and beyond to support me, and jadedsunshine and are always in my corner when shit happens on wattpad. I hope you've had a great birthday, or by the time you read this a great Friday. <3

As a single mother to three kids so close in age, Amanda didn’t have much time for herself, let alone have a night with Trini, Kimberly and Rita. Her two best friends here in her new city, and a woman who invited herself to ladies night at the possibility of ditching her kid and having some drinks. Trini’s mother was currently watching the Gomez-Hart’s daughter Emma, and was completely open for the three Clark kids, naturally that meant Gia would be dropped off for a full house of kids. 

Amanda knew her kids well, Kendall the oldest a third grader would be doing her best to be helpful for Mrs. Gomez, or would be away from the other kids in favor of reading. Chase, the little ladies man, would likely be trying to impress Emma and Gia at any opportunity  _ or _ Gia and Emma would have him wrapped around their little fingers. Riley, her baby, her first grader would likely tag along to whatever the majority had to do. They would be just fine. If anything, she was relieved that they had some other kids to play with.

“I don’t know what to do” The blonde sighed, her margarita glass half full. The first portion of the night Trini had been going on and on about her mom’s  _ surprise _ visit. “Riley’s been invited to Conner McKnight’s birthday party”

“What’s wrong with that?” Kimberly’s brows laced with concern, as an event planner and a mother she knew how these things worked. With younger kids, the easiest thing to do was invite the entire class and rent out a space for a couple of hours. “Just buy the kid a soccer ball and call it a day”

“Ladies and gentleman, my wife, the gift giving  _ master”  _ Trini deadpanned, shaking her head in disbelief.

“You worried that your kid’s the runt of the litter and those little monsters are going to rip his self confidence to shreds?” Rita asked, a brow arched. She raised her daughter to be an apex predator, never the prey. Amanda had only known these women for about a year now, and even she knew that Gia Moran was tough as nails. “Cause I would” 

“Rita... _ jesus”  _ Trini heavily sighed, having to grab the margarita pitcher and refill her glass. 

“She’s actually closer” Amanda admitted, biting her lip, “It’s a pool party” With a sigh she continued on, “He doesn’t know how to swim”

“Then just skip the party?” Rita shrugged, “Problem solved”

“Or” Kimberly rose a finger, “Teach him  _ how  _ to swim, I’m just throwing that crazy idea out there”

“I can’t afford  _ swim lessons _ right now” It wasn’t exactly  _ free,  _ to put him into a class. “His father was supposed to teach him just like…” She sighed, just like Kendall and Chase. Kendall used to  _ love _ swimming, and the water, but as the oldest she remembered the most of her father...she never wanted to go around the pool again. 

Trini and Kimberly exchanged a look, not many people in this town knew of Amanda’s secret. That she up and ran away from a terrible marriage taking the kids with her and changing their names to try and stay hidden. Kimberly was the first to speak up, “We can teach him, we’ll just have a big day where we all go to the pool, make it not seem like such a big deal”

“I do look good in a bikini” Rita mused out loud, trying to pinpoint what this little plan would mean for her. “Okay, you don’t have to convince me. I’m in. All we have to do is shove the runt into the pool and let his survival instincts kick in. Badda bing badda boom, he’ll swim in no time”

“Absolutely not.” Trini was quick to snap, sticking a warning finger in her not so friend’s face. 

“Oh it’s not like we’d let him  _ die”  _ Rita rolled her eyes, “Loosen up  _ booster seat”  _

“Bitch”

“Oookay” Kimberly drawled out before her wife could completely derail this conversation away from a  _ mother in need.  _ “What do you think of the pool idea? We have plenty of time to get him ready for the party”

“It’s not just him learning how to swim” The blonde glanced down to her cup, “I think he’s really shy, he doesn’t want to take off his shirt in public. I don’t know if a bunch of  _ mommies _ will help”

“So what you’re saying is he needs a man” Rita concluded, saying out loud what Amanda was dancing around. “Not a problem” She pulled out her phone to start scanning her contacts. The three other women knew enough about Rita to know that she was likely trying to call an old flame.

“He’s not going to feel comfortable around a stranger just because he’s a man.” Trini did not want anyone on Rita’s recently banged list to be around Emma---to be around  _ Gia.  _ “Why don’t we call Zack?”

“Do you think he’d do it? Do you think he’d mind?” Amanda asked, not wanting to bother Kimberly and Trini’s high school friend. He had already done so much for her in the past that she didn’t want to feel like a burden to him. “The boys really do like when he’s around” 

“Are you kidding? Zack loves kids, he wouldn’t mind at all” Kimberly reassured her friend, “He also likes spending time with  _ you.”  _ Emma’s bowling alley birthday party, Thanksgiving, they had been getting close this whole year. Amanda wasn’t blind to say there wasn’t a tension, or sparks between them. “I’m just saying”

“I know...but...I’m not  _ ready _ for that” As much as she  _ liked _ Zack, technically---legally, she was still married to Ryan Heckyl. Amanda wasn’t sure if she could open her heart again, what mattered first was her three kids. Zack shouldn’t hold out for damaged goods. 

“Oh just  _ fuck,  _ my god” Rita reeled her head back letting out the biggest, and most dramatic sigh, “Riley’s not the only Clark that needs to be pushed into the deep end” She could feel the way Kimberly and Trini were glaring at her, “What?”

“Um...anyways…” Amanda didn’t want to talk about her love life, or anything that could really go south quickly, this was supposed to be a girls night out after all. 

*****

“I really don’t want to be here” Despite  _ not _ wanting to be at the pool, it was a miracle that under Kendall’s clothes she wore her purple swimsuit. Amanda felt it had to be a sign that there was a part of her that missed being in the water. Her daughter didn’t excel in traditional sports, but here, she was practically a fish. She even snuck her goggles into Amanda’s swim bag. “Couldn’t I have just stayed home and read?”

“No, this is a family thing. The Gomez-Hart’s were nice enough to invite us to the rec center” And also use their guest passes so they could get in for  _ free.  _ Amanda was  _ not _ going to turn down a free  _ anything.  _ Three kids, not fun to pay for. 

Trini, Kimberly, Emma and Zack were all at the front of the rec center waiting for the Clarks to arrive. Once Trini checked everyone in, they would all have to go through a locker room to get to the pool on the other side, girls had one and boys had the other. Amanda felt better knowing that Chase and Riley wouldn’t be by themselves to cut through to the other side.

“You guys ready?” Zack offered his hand for the seven, and six year old boys to hi-five him. “We’ll meet you girls over there.” He then led the two young boys into the locker room, bringing his own lock, Zack stopped to grab them some space to put their clothes somewhere safe. It allowed Amanda not to have to worry about carrying  _ more  _ things. He took off his black hoodie to shove into the locker, his white tank top next, leaving just his black swim trunks. “You can leave your stuff here too”

Chase wanted to hit the pool as fast as possible so he shrugged off his black t-shirt like it was nothing and raced away to beeline for the pool to properly cannon ball in. Riley on the other hand wasn’t so forthcoming, he wasn’t brave like Chase, he didn’t feel comfortable with people seeing him. Zack had this perfect upper body, as a firefighter who went to the gym multiple times a week he had chiseled abs, he looked like a superhero yet...there were two scars, one on each pec below his nipples that caught Riley’s eye. 

“How did you get those?” He asked softly.

It took Zack a couple of moments before he realized what Riley could possibly be asking. The scars. He traced his fingers along one of them, lost in a thought, a memory. “Ah well, it’s a little complicated” He glanced around to make sure they were alone before he sat down on a bench. “You see, I’m a guy. Just like you...but I was born with a body like your mom's”

“My mom's?” Riley tilted his head to the side, he was following what Zack was saying until that. Here sat a shirtless man, he didn’t...he couldn’t imagine him with a body like his mother’s, “I don’t understand”

“I used to have breasts.” Zack paused, being careful with his next words, “I was a boy living in a girls body” He rested his hands on his knees, leaning forward. “And it was hard, it was so hard, but in order to see  _ me _ in the mirror I had to make changes…”

“But your scars” He kept his voice low, “Don’t people look at them?”

“They do” He relaxed his shoulders, “My body isn’t perfect, but it’s mine...and I love my scars and my chest” He loved being able to take off his shirt and  _ feel _ how things were supposed to. “But if you want to keep your shirt on, there’s nothing wrong with that. You have to be _you._ _”_

Riley took a moment to think, if Zack could go out without his shirt, showing off his imperfections and scars to the world...he could take off his shirt and be brave too. The six year old took off his green t-shirt and handed it nicely to the man sitting in front of him. “Will you teach me how to swim?”

“You bet bud” As he stood, he reached over to ruffle the young boy’s hair. Once everything was in the locker he escorted Riley out of the locker room and to the pool to meet up with the others. 

Trini and Kimberly had already scouted out a couple of deck chairs to make a little home base for everyone. Emma had joined Chase in the pool, the two of them were throwing weighted sticks into the water and going under to fetch them. Kendall sat on the edge of a deck chair watching, struggling whether or not she wanted to go in on this warm day. It was Amanda who waited at the locker room door, relieved to see her son right by Zack’s side. 

“Everything okay?” She asked, her other son was out in an instant...but she knew her youngest well, that he didn’t have Chase’s gusto and courage. 

“Zack’s going to teach me how to swim” Riley nodded, “Like dad was s’poseto”

“That’s right” This was the first time Amanda had seen Zack without a shirt on. Scars like that could only mean one thing. Not once did Trini or Kimberly say that their high school best friend had gone through a transitional top surgery. “Now you boys have fun” 

Without saying a word, Zack let Amanda and her children in on something very personal and private in his life. It meant he felt safe around the Clark’s, safe to let his guard down. “He’s going to be in good hands” Zack assured her, resting a hand on her forearm. 

Riley glanced between his mother and the coolest guy he knew, didn’t  _ just _ look at one another like that. “Are you two gonna kiss?”

Amanda flushed deep red, having to turn her head away and laugh it off as best as she could. Zack’s eyes widened, he visibly had to swallow. If Riley could sense that something was up, their stolen glances weren’t very subtle. Not wanting to address their unspoken feelings, Zack walked to the edge of the concrete and did a backflip into the pool. “C’mon Riley! The waters great!”

The young boy wasn’t too sure about jumping into the pool, he sat at the edge and lowered his body into the water, clutching onto the edge of the pool. Amanda sent Zack an appreciative smile that he was going through and  _ doing _ this for her. Giving Riley the space to be out from under his mother, Amanda walked to the other side of the pool where Trini was rubbing sunscreen into her wife’s back.

“Kendall...do you want to help Riley try learning how to swim? Zack may not be able to do it by himself and...you’re a  _ really _ good swimmer” Amanda sat herself down next to her oldest child. “I can make sure your book stays dry”

“I don’t know” Kendall, like Riley, was unsure of the water; but for the eldest of the Clark children it was for an entirely different reason. “Chase can do it”

“Your brother’s a bit distracted to help....” Amanda trailed off, seeing that her son had left the pool all together to get in line to go off of the diving board. Once he was there he waved over to his mother...but  _ Kimberly Gomez-Hart  _ as well to try and impress the older woman with his sick jumping into deep water skills.

“Boys are dumb” Kendall scoffed, shaking her head. “If Zack needs so much help,  _ you _ should do it”

“Riley doesn’t want  _ me _ around, he’s embarrassed. He looks up to  _ you _ though, you’re his big sister” Amanda knew how much Kendall missed the water, if she could find it  _ fun _ again then maybe...maybe there’d be a glimmer of the old Morgan in there.

“...Well...maybe for a little bit...if Zack  _ really _ could use my assistance.” Kendall took off her thick framed glasses to hand to her mom, in exchange she pulled the goggles out of Amanda’s pool bag. “But do me a favor?”

“What’s that, sweetie?”

“Put some sunscreen on. With  _ your _ complexion, you’re going to be redder than a  _ tomato”  _

Kendall was never one to mince her words. As the oldest, she would put more responsibility on herself and that meant watching out for not only her younger siblings but her mom too. With a reason to assist her baby brother, she found the reason she needed to try going into the water again. Amanda could relax a bit knowing that her daughter was capable of having fun, and not spending her entire afternoon sitting around the moms.

“You’re going to need this” Kimberly laughed, handing her friend the bottle of sunscreen. “Are you okay?”

It amazed the blonde watching the way Zack would interact with each of her three kids. With Riley he was patient and kind, gentle. When it came to Kendall he would make smile and almost laugh even, he would find ways to get her to participate or have  _ fun--- _ remind her that she was a kid. Then there was Chase, if any of her three kids needed a strong male role model to set him on the right path it was him. He was going to be the wild one. Zack never had to step in and help out, or even give these kids the time of day. He was a young bachelor with so many other things he could be doing, spending time with someone who didn’t carry so much baggage...so much trauma. Yet...he was the first man Amanda had felt safe around, to even consider…

“Well…” Amanda turned her head, glancing back to her two best friends, “I think I _might_ be ready to give dating a try” She glanced back to the pool, where Zack was holding her son in his arms, her daughter at his side. It wasn’t long before Chase had jumped in to see what his siblings were up to. The three of them were teaching Riley how to swim. She tucked blonde locks behind her ear, letting out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, “Do you think he’d be interested?”

Trini and Kimberly shared a knowing glance, before Trini was the one to speak up, “I don’t think you have anything to worry about”


End file.
